So I Interviewed an Author

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Monday, August 20, 2012

Kyla LoPresti is a 13 year old author who lives in West
Haven, Ct with her parents , 8 year old sister Zoey and their dog, Cole. She is an avid reader who enjoys books by
Cassandra Clare and Alyson Noel. She has
just published her first novel titled "Flashback". She is currently working on the sequel and
another series of books.

Kyla brings her
characters to life by showcasing them on her website and having them interact
on twitter. Many ideas in Kyla’s book come
from her real life experiences, just embellished a little. The two best friends in her book are based on
her friends in real life.

When Kyla is not reading or writing she loves playing the
guitar, swimming and playing volleyball.
She also likes to take the time to help other young authors with their writing. She is constantly meeting new kids and
inspiring them to follow their dreams.
Kyla has a message to readers on the back of her book in hopes she will
encourage other kids and young adults to reach their goals.

Excerpt from Flashback:

Chapter 34: Rachael’s

I was groggy, but my mind raced with thoughts. I wondered if Lillian and Chris ever got
together. Maybe I will ask him about her
later. I tried not to think about the
fact that it’s my birthday in three days.
I’m scared but yet anxious about who my killer is, and what he’ll do to
me. I didn’t want to get ready for
school, but I had to. I missed too many
days already.

I had the worst migraine at school all day. I honestly don’t even remember half my
day. My head hurt so bad, that I
couldn’t even really practice for the play.
Ms. Gale was so nice to me; she let me watch everyone else. Erik and Chris were both doting on me, and
fighting over who should get me a bottle of water. I am so over them right now.

I
really didn’t feel like going to Rachael’s to study. I felt dizzy, like
I was going to pass out. I probably shouldn’t even have been
driving. I drove slowly to Dunkin’
Donuts. I ordered a couple of coffees
and some chocolate chip muffins. By the
time I got there, Evelyn and Rachael were already
studying.

“What took you so long, Iz? We’re having caffeine withdrawal,” Rachael
said when I walked in. Like Rachael
needs any more caffeine, she’s hyper enough.

Rachael only lives a couple of blocks from me, but she
lives right on the beach. Her house is a
grey, oversized Cape Cod. It has an
awesome white deck that comes off the back and you can walk right onto the
beach. Sometimes after a storm the waves
are so high; they come right up to the top of the deck. We usually hang out at her house on our days
off. We rarely go to Evelyn’s because
her mom is a neat freak and we can’t make a mess.

“Thanks
Isabelle, this will definitely help us get through Charles Dickens,”
Evelyn
said sighing.

“I’ve
got a bad headache today but I guess I’m ready to study. So, what have
you girls studied so far?” I asked as I sat down on Rachael’s leopard
couch.

The inside of Rachael’s house looked like Lady Gaga’s
closet had thrown up all over it. Every
room had a different pattern from zebra to polka dots. Don’t get me wrong her house is beautiful, there’s
just a whole lot going on in one little place.

“I’ve got aspirin in my bag if you want some,” Evelyn said.

“I’m good; I just took one, thanks.”

“We were just talking about the symbolism of the names in
the book. We know that is going to be on
the test,” Rachael said.

“Oh, that’s easy, Oliver’s name is Twist because of all the
reversals of fortune that he experiences,” I explained. I continued to talk about the symbolism of
Bulls-eye and then I realized they were just staring at me. I think I went too far.

Rachael looked at me in disbelief. “What the hell are you talking about?” She said.

Evelyn glared at me like she knew something, “Um, I didn’t know you were so into this book, I thought we both agreed that Pretty Little Liars should be the book we read for English Lit.”

“Hey, I thought we said The Lying Game,” Rachael exclaimed.

“Okay, we are getting off the subject,” I said laughing. “We are never gonna get through this, you two. I read a lot online last night that might help us.”

“Okay, we’ll be serious,” Evelyn said.

We spent three hours studying, well, mostly me telling them everything about the book the author, and them taking notes. We better all get As after I endured the boringness of teaching Charles Dickens. (Used With Permission)

Interview:

I don't usually
harp on anyone's age, but you have to admit, you are extremely young for a
novelist. With that in mind, when did you first decide "I want to write a
book."?

I actually had
a dream about the story I wrote. I woke up in the middle of the night and
starting my thoughts down. The prologue of my book is pretty much what I
wrote down at that point. The next day in school I wrote the first
chapter. The more I thought about it the more the story developed and I
realized it would make a good book. After I had about 12 chapters my
mother found my notebook in my book bag and read it. She said she really
liked it and I should tell my friends about it. I started to tell them
and they wanted to hear more and more. It was then I realized I really
needed to finish it and share it with everyone.

How do other kids react to you being a published author?

So far they seem really happy for
me. Everyone wanted a copy as soon as they came in. The librarian
had my picture up at our Main Library and she said lots of kids from my school
saw it and were talking about it.

How long did it
take you to finish your first book?

It took about 4
months to write the first draft. After that it took another 6 to 8 months
to edit, change things, format it and create the cover.

Writing can be very autobiographical, even in fiction. How much of you, is in
your story? Are there parts of the main character that you identify with? Or
are there events in your life that you've drawn on to add to your book?

Yes! Yes! Yes! Isabelle, the
main character is a lot like me. She can be very sarcastic like me and
self-conscious too. Isabelle’s two best friends are based off my two best
friends, Rachael and Victoria. Of course they are a little
embellished. I live in Connecticut and Isabelle’s past life takes place
in Connecticut. Her present life takes place in Carlsbad, California
which is where I went on vacation and would like to live one day. The
places Isabelle shops and eats at are all places that I like.

What did your parents say when you presented them with the finished manuscript?

They couldn’t believe it was so
long! They were really proud of me.

And lastly,
what would be the biggest bit of advice that you would give to young adults who
dream of becoming an author?

Don’t give
up. Don’t get discouraged. It takes a long time to write a
book. No one can do it in a day, you have to have a lot of patience and
believe in yourself that you will finish it. Whether it is writing a book
or something else, no kid should give up on their dreams.